Brandon Meriweather, working with the defense at the Patriots’ training camp yesterday, now can focus solely on his play.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson Glenn Osmundson

FOXBORO — Brandon Meriweather missed the Patriots’ first two practices of the season because of a contract dispute, but now that the hard-hitting defensive back has signed a reported five-year, $8.75-million contract, with $6 million in guaranteed money, he is out to prove that New England’s money was well spent.

Meriweather said yesterday it was a relief for him to get his contract signed and report to practice. He said he wanted to join his teammates as soon as possible so he wouldn’t fall too far behind everyone else.

“I’m extremely happy about that because that was my main focus the whole offseason — to get the contract done,” Meriweather said. “It was very important to me [to get the contract signed]. I felt like the more days you miss the farther behind you are, and I don’t want to get farther behind being that I’m a rookie.”

Meriweather said there was no doubt in his mind that he would have his contract signed before too many practices went by.

“I was pretty confident that I was going to be here,” Meriweather said. “I talked to my agent and I told him that no matter what I can’t miss too many days, and he understood that.”

Meriweather, who played mainly safety at the University of Miami — where he was nicknamed “The Hit Stick” for his hard-hitting and aggressive style of play — has played cornerback, nickleback and safety in practice so far for the Patriots.

“…We’ll use him in some different spots and see how it goes,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “People on our team are going to have to have some versatility and play different spots, anyway, so he falls into that category.”

Meriweather said he doesn’t mind playing different positions.

“As of right now, I’m doing whatever coach asks me to,” Meriweather said. “If he wants to put me wherever, I just go wherever. Right now, I’m just having fun with all of [the positions]. Every spot, I just have fun with it. I’m really not trying to focus on what’s better and what I feel more comfortable with. I think that this is a professional team and they know exactly what they are doing.”

After the Patriots won three of four Super Bowls, the team fell short the last two seasons as their defense suffered from injuries and age. Meriweather, who has excellent speed and great cover instincts, hopes to help rejuvenate the defense.

Safety Eugene Wilson was sidelined for all except four games last season, and New England Pro Bowl defensive back Rodney Harrison missed six games with a broken right shoulder blade, so the addition of Meriweather gives the Patriots another potential standout safety and a shutdown corner.

In addition, Asante Samuel, who is upset by being tagged as the Patriots’ franchise player, is still holding out, so Meriweather has an excellent chance to start this year and make an immediate impact.

He isn’t looking that far ahead just yet, though.

“To be honest with you, I’m just really looking forward to the next practice,” Meriweather said. “I’m really not even thinking about the hits, the interceptions, games, or nothing else except for the next practice and learning my playbook.”

Yesterday was just Meriweather’s second and third practices with the Patriots.

“It went all right,” Meriweather said of practice. “I did a lot better. I’m not performing how I wanted to perform. I still got the playbook to learn and I still got chemistry with the team to build, so I got a lot to do.”

Physically, Meriweather is a phenomenal athlete. He said the toughest part of training camp so far is the mental aspect.

“The biggest surprise so far probably is how much mental and studying you have to do to be any good in this game,” Meriweather said.

He said Harrison has taught him a lot so far.

“He’s like my big brother,” Meriweather said. “He’s great. He’s been awesome. Him and [Artell Hawkins] and the rest of the [defensive backs] and defensive linemen, the team in general is just great.”

“They just tell me to be myself and stay in the playbook,” Meriweather added. “That’s what they tell me most of all, and I think that’s the most important advice.”

Meriweather, a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in 2005 and ’06, ranked second on the University of Miami in tackles last year with 91 while shifting back and forth from strong safety to right cornerback. He was credited with 62 tackles in 2005.

Many experts said Meriweather would have gone higher in the draft if it hadn’t been for two ugly incidents that he was involved in at Miami.

Meriweather was suspended for one game last season for stomping on a Florida International player’s head during a brawl between the teams. He also was involved in a shooting when he fired a licensed handgun to defend his friend and teammate who had been shot. He didn’t face any charges for firing his gun because the police determined that Meriweather was defending himself and his property and the gun was legally registered to him.

roblee@projo.com